By ADAM ZAGORIA
UCLA has officially signed New Mexico transfer Donovan Dent after he committed on March 28.
The 6-foot-2 junior point guard from Riverside, Calif., is returning home, after choosing UCLA over Kentucky and Gonzaga.
“Homecoming,” Dent wrote on his Instagram.
“We’re excited to welcome Donnie to Westwood,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “I have known him since he led Corona Centennial to a state championship. He has established himself as one of the premier guards in all of college basketball. Donnie is a great young man, tremendously creative with the basketball, and he makes everyone on his team better. We are continuing to build out our roster for next season, but signing Donnie is a huge piece for our program.”
As a junior with the Lobos in 2024-25, Dent scored in double figures in all 35 games, including a career-best 40-point effort in a 78-71 win over VCU on Dec. 18, 2024. New Mexico went 27-8 overall and won the Mountain West’s regular-season crown with a 17-3 league record. He registered at least 20 points in 19 games. Dent concluded the season having produced four point-assist double-doubles, including three games with a season-best 11 assists.
In three seasons at New Mexico, Dent averaged 13.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 104 contests (72 starts). Over the past two years, he averaged 17.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. Dent registered career-high percentages last season from 3-point distance (40.9%) and at the free throw line (78.4%). In addition, he ranked fifth among all players in the Mountain West in minutes per game (35.3).
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookBREAKING: New Mexico transfer guard Donovan Dent, one of the top players in the portal, has committed to UCLA, he tells @On3sports. Chose the Bruins over Kentucky and Gonzaga.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 29, 2025
The 6-2 junior averaged 20.6 points and 6.4 assists per game this season. Shot 41% from three.… pic.twitter.com/9GwYYqAv3C
